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| - We had the pleasure to drive up to Toronto and visit Little Sister this past weekend, and (poetically enough), gave our "little sister" her first taste of Indonesian food. I chose Little Sister partly because of its proximity to our lodging and partly because of the raving reviews it got from other people who had had Indonesian food before. It's been a while since my last taste of real Indonesian food, and I was excited, hopeful, and a touch nervous.
The restaurant is a bit smaller than I had expected. It gave off a somewhat intimate but casual vibe that is friendly instead of romantic. It could be a date place, certainly, but it doesn't have to be. The interior design is peppered with just enough traditional Balinese motifs without any of it being overdone. It's as if a Balinese had come in person to decorate the place with materials from the homeland. It was enough to give me a flashback to some of the eateries I had gone to with my family in Bali.
At this point, I was very excited. Then we saw the menu and were told that food in Little Sister is meant for sharing; guests could order many dishes and share them. By the time food came, our excitement about tripled and quadrupled. We had the chicken satay, babi panggang, babi guling, rendang taco, beef croquette, curry shrimp, and a side order of nasi goreng. I have to say that just about all of the dishes that we ordered had their flavor and texture very much spot on despite the not-so-traditional presentation. The nasi goreng is not as spot on, but the flavor profile is still pretty close (both my dinner companions swore it was the best fried rice they had ever had on this side of the planet).
At our urging, our sister also ordered the two desserts of the day, ginger coffee ice cream and coconut pudding. While neither are traditional Indonesian food, the flavor profiles are definitely there.
I think that's what Little Sister is. It's not trying to be authentic or fake being authentic. Instead, it takes flavor profiles that are much beloved and transform them into something unique that people who crave Indonesian flavors can still appreciate, and people who don't know Indonesian flavors can also appreciate. And for that, I am thankful.
Anyway. Little Sister is located in midtown, so parking spot is prime estate. If you decide to come during dinner rush, be prepared to hunt for a while for a spot. Also, you may have to wait for a table unless you call ahead and make a reservation.
Is it worth it though? I'll leave it to you to decide. As for us, we're definitely coming back.
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